At least five children have reportedly died of starvation in a remote mountainous district in northwest Pakistan as a result of massive floods throughout the region, RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal reports.

A local official and residents said the deaths occurred in Kandia Valley, in the Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

Abdul Sattar, an elected representative of Kohistan in the provincial assembly, told RFE/RL on August 16: "Neither the provincial nor central government has provided us assistance. Five children have died of starvation here."

But Farrukh Jadoon, a senior official in Kohistan district, denied the claims of starvation and insisted that assistance is being provided to flood-affected residents in stages. "The report about the deaths of four or five children in Kandia Valley is just a rumor," Jadoon said.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is one of the areas hardest hit by the flooding, which has affected an estimated 20 million people in Pakistan.

Thousands of people are still stranded in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province’s Swat and Shangla districts, while hundreds of thousands are facing food shortages.

Bridges and roads have been destroyed by the floods, which were caused by rains said to be the worst in many decades.